Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Shallots
Homemade Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Fried Shallots is made 100% from scratch with fresh green beans and no condensed soup or french fried onions!
1 1/2lbs.fresh green beanstrimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
3tablespoonsunsalted butter
8ouncescremini mushroomsstemmed and sliced
3clovesgarlicminced
5tablespoonsall purpose flourdivided
1teaspoondry mustard powderoptional
2 1/2cupsmilk*
1teaspoonkosher salt
1/2cupgrated cheddar cheese
1/2cupoilthe oil should come up about 1/2" from the bottom of the pan
3largeshallotspeeled and sliced into 1/4" thick rings (you should have about 2 cups sliced)
Instructions
Fill a large pot with water. Cover and place over high heat until the water boils. Add the green beans and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the beans for 3-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Place in a colander and rinse well with cold water to cool the beans down (this will help the beans retain their green color). Drain well and set aside.
Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened and the liquid has evaporated, about 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more.
Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the flour evenly over the mushroom mixture, followed by the dry mustard powder. Stir and cook for 1 minute until the flour smells like shortbread.
Add the milk slowly while whisking constantly (be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan as well), then add the teaspoon of kosher salt. Continue to whisk constantly and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and come to a boil, about 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat and stir in the cheese until melted, then stir in the green beans and toss to coat.
*From here, you can place the mixture in a bowl and store in the fridge until you're ready to top with the fried shallots and bake in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 - 2 1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Pour the green bean mixture into the baking dish and set aside.
Place the shallot rings in a bowl and toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour and about 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Place the canola oil in a saute pan and heat over medium high heat. When the oil is hot (not smoking), add about 1/4 of the shallots in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes until lightly golden brown. Place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat until all of the shallots have been cooked. Sprinkle with a bit more salt if necessary.
Top the casserole with the shallots and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through (this will take longer if the green bean mixture is cold). If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil.
Remove from heat and cool 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*I used whole milk in this recipe which resulted in a rich sauce. You can certainly use low fat or skim milk if you'd like to reduce the amount of fat in this recipe.
If you're not a fan of mushrooms simply omit them from the recipe.
Substitute the fried shallots with store bought french fried onions to save time.